WELCOME:
Welcome to the Los Angeles Toy, Doll and Amusements Museum! (Please, call us LA-T-DA.) Like any other serious entity, we have a Mission Statement: to preserve and explore objects of play and amusement and to examine their influence on various times and cultures. And we have a Vision: To become a primary resource for the study of toys. But mainly what we have is the desire to learn from and have fun with the stuff that has entranced kids (and adults) since forever. We traffic in objects of delight.

ABOUT US:
We’re toy-lovers. We’re native and former Angelenos, museum professionals and dreamers. We’re rebels all, each with an itching, burning desire to create provocative, thoughtful, unexpected exhibits that deal with our shared passion: toys. If you want to learn slightly more about the principals, click here for an interactive pop-up.

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WHAT’S TO SEE?
LATDA doesn't have a physical site yet. But we're planning our exhibition calendar for the future. In the meantime, we partner with other like-minded institutions and organizations to present fun and innovative exhibitions that will make you feel like a kid again. LATDA has grown impatient with the collections and exhibitions of toys that occasionally make their way to the public eye through various art, cultural, science and special interest institutions only at holiday time. We want to have year-round toy programming!

COMING OCTOBER 10, 2007:
BEYOND ULTRAMAN: SEVEN ARTISTS EXPLORE THE VINYL FRONTIER
As a solid example of the partnering idea above, LATDA combines with PMCA (PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART) to examine the current vinyl art toy landscape as seen through the work of seven California artists. The ART VINYL movement may have started on the streets of Tokyo and Hong Kong, but it's right here in California that it took root. California's potent mix of cultural diversity and cutting-edge experimentation has made this state the ultimate fertile ground for artists who are turning hot vinyl into the ultra-cool medium it is today. Exhibition information here.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
GARY BASEMAN / TIM BISKUP / DAVID GONZALES / DAVID HORVATH /
SUN-MIN KIM / BRIAN McCARTY / MARK NAGATA

A FUTURE IMAGINED, THEN GIVEN WINGS
LATDA will offer the best the 20th Century has to offer in manufactured toys, dolls, board games, puppets, costumes, books, records and related advertising material. Unwilling to limit our focus to any particular time period, LATDA will strive to present examinations of current trends seen nowhere else. BEYOND ULTRAMAN: SEVEN ARTISTS EXPLORE THE VINYL FRONTIER is just such a cutting edge exhibition. This, the first museum exploration of the art vinyl movement EVER, was conceived and curated by LATDA; the exhibition will be presented in tandem with the Pasadena Museum of California Art, who share LATDA's passion for exploring pop culture frontiers and the artists who traverse them. LATDA has also produced the exhibition catalog, and whew, are our arms tired! It's a lot of work mounting a major exhibition while working to get a museum off the ground and into the air.

WHY YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT LATDA IN THE COMING MONTHS:
BEYOND ULTRAMAN is shaping up to be a major exhibition that should have broad appeal as well as sub-culture support. It will be a show that hits cutting edge notes along with some nostalgia-tinged ones as well. It will be a show overflowing with smart, gorgeous, massed produced and limited edition art toys and images by masters in the field... a show which looks at the impact and marketing of toys which are art and vice versa. In short, BEYOND ULTRAMAN will represent everything that LATDA strives to be: fascinating, unexpected, and meaty. We think you'll be amused by its presumption.

We apologize for not imagining LATDA as a stuffy hall filled with dinosaurs. No, thanks to the artists involved, LATDA's partners in Pasadena, and supporters like you, BEYOND ULTRAMAN will be a breezy hall filled with kaiju... and genius.

GOING FORWARD... TAKE A PEEK INTO OUR IDEA VAULT:
• A Classics Collection – a permanent display of toys, dolls and games that have stood the test of time... backed with information about their creation, manufacturing and marketing.
• An International Folk Toy collection – a permanent illustration of cultural diversity and similarity.
• A minimum of three temporary exhibits a year, and an annual show curated by local schoolchildren.
• Educational programs and workshops, including toy design.

There are museums throughout the world dedicated to the study and preservation of toys and other childhood delights, but curiously, not one exists in Southern California, the home of Mattel®, Disney®, and the greatest of all amusement producers — Hollywood! Until now, that is. While collections and exhibitions of toys occasionally make their way to the public eye through various art, cultural, science and special interest institutions, no Southern California museum comprehensively and consistently reflects toys and their impact on social and cultural development. The LATDA Museum will fill that void.

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FAQ:

WHERE WILL THE LATDA MUSEUM BE LOCATED?
We are seeking a site in Los Angeles County that meets the following criteria:
1.) Low or subsidized rent;
2.) Centrally located;
3.) Ample parking and school bus accessibility.

IS LATDA A CHILDREN'S MUSEUM?
No. We strongly feel that we have a duty to reflect and involve the diversity of Los Angeles and the world, including children.

WHAT WILL YOU DO UNTIL YOU HAVE A PERMANENT LOCATION?
We plan to mount exhibitions that relate to our mission in temporary locations, sometimes partnering with other institutions to fill exhibit space. Come to "Beyond Ultraman: Seven Artists Explore the Vinyl Frontier" at the Pasadena Museum of California Art starting October 10, 2007... and decide for yourself if this is a viable strategem for a startup museum like LATDA. If you like what you see, please join LATDA and support our efforts to become a brick and mortar entity.

CAN I DONATE ARTIFACTS TO THE LATDA COLLECTIONS?
Yes! Please contact us via mail or e-mail latda@latdamuseum.org with a brief description of the artifact you wish to donate. This will provide us with basic information that will help us determine its suitability for inclusion in either of the Museum’s permanent collections. DO NOT SEND US THE ACTUAL OBJECTS! Because of the high volume of offers made to the Museum, all collection offers must first be made in writing.

WILL MY DONATION OR MEMBERSHIP BE TAX DEDUCTIBLE?
The LATDA Museum is a 501(c) 3 non-profit public benefit organization like any other museum. Membership dues and donations will be tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Please contact your tax advisor for exact information.

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JOIN US:
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY...because starting a museum is costly.

• A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER with updates on LATDA business, special interactive columns,
news from the toy industry and more;
• A 10% DISCOUNT on products and books sold in the LATDA Museum Store,
and on applicable merchandise in a partner store during a LATDA co-production;
• FREE ADMISSION to the LATDA Museum when it is in its physical location;
MEANWHILE, free admission to a PARTNER MUSEUM during a LATDA co-production.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN LATDA NOW!

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT LATDA:
Give us your toys, give us your cars, send us your stories. We take toy cars. We take real cars. (And we take checks.)

TOYS: Have a cool toy or a dear friend (and we’re talking, like, stuffed animals here, ok?) who needs a safe home? Please write (see below for address) or email us (latda@latdamuseum.org) FIRST with a brief description of the artifact you wish to donate. This will provide us with basic information that will help us determine its suitability for inclusion in the Museum’s permanent collections. Because of the high volume of offers made to the Museum, all collection offers must first be made in writing. This is museum-speak for DO NOT SEND US THE ACTUAL OBJECTS yet!

VEHICLES: Our first fundraiser was a garage sale, so it’s no surprise that we are now accepting car donations. You can turn your defunct ride into Hot Wheels® by donating it to LATDA. Contact us for a donation form. Your donation is tax deductible and will benefit each donor differently. Please check with your tax advisor to see how this tax deduction will benefit you.

STORIES / PHOTOS: We are archiving stories and photos of treasured toys. One thing we have learned is that everyone had (or has) a favorite toy or object of amusement... We’d be happy to hear your stories and accept (or scan for posterity) your photos. Again, write or email and we’ll start the ball rolling.

The LATDA Museum is a 501(c) 3 non-profit public benefit organization. Memberships are renewable annually. Membership dues and donations will be tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Member's benefits are subject to change.

TALK TO US:
We want you to Toy with Us! Tell us your toy stories. Personal histories will be an important part of every exhibit. Let us know what kinds of exhibits you would like to see at the LATDA Museum. Know someone with a great toy collection? Tell us about them.